‘Democracy Awakening’ Arrives in the Nation’s Capital in 12 Days
April 4, 2016
‘Democracy Awakening’ Arrives in the Nation’s Capital in 12 Days
At Mass Convergence on Washington, D.C., People Will Demand Democracy Reforms; the Rev. William Barber II, Dolores Huerta, Jim Hightower, Sandra Steingraber and David Goodman Will Speak
In just 12 days, thousands of activists from the East Coast and Midwest will stream into the nation’s capital for Democracy Awakening, a three-day event featuring a rally, march, teach-ins, lobbying and civil disobedience. The goal is to fight back against business as usual in Washington, D.C., and demand a democracy that works for everyone, not just corporations and the wealthy. The message: On voting rights, money in politics reforms and the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress is failing to do its job and ignoring the will of the people.
As of today, 260 organizations have signed up to support or attend the landmark mobilization. Lead organizations include the American Postal Workers Union, Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, Democracy Initiative, Every Voice Center, Food & Water Watch, Franciscan Action Network, Greenpeace, NAACP, National Nurses United, People For the American Way, Public Citizen, Student Debt Crisis and U.S. PIRG.
Democracy Awakening runs April 16-18 and will call for three things:
- Voting rights reform in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby decision;
- Campaign finance reform to curb the influence of wealthy interests and corporations in elections, in response to Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United; and
- A vote on the Supreme Court nominee, to help restore a functioning judiciary.
Attendees will travel to D.C. on buses from as far away as Vermont, Tennessee, Michigan and Illinois. Public Citizen can help you with local stories about why these Americans are traveling so far to participate in this historic event.
The Rev. William Barber II, leader of the N.C. Moral Monday Movement, will speak at the rally, as will Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers union; radio commentator Jim Hightower; environmental activist Sandra Steingraber and civil rights activist David Goodman. See a complete list of speakers, presenters and panelists.
Once in the capital, the attendees will participate in events over Saturday (teach-ins and workshops), Sunday (a rally and “March for Democracy”) and Monday (non-violent civil disobedience and advocacy).
Democracy Awakening is part of a broad movement aimed at gaining democracy reforms. The action started April 1, with Democracy Spring, an event that features a march from Philadelphia to Washington D.C., followed by five days in which activists will stage a sit-in at the Capitol. A day after Democracy Spring ends, Democracy Awakening will begin.
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